Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps wins US House special election in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Matt Van Epps won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House on Tuesday, maintaining his party’s grip on the district with help from President Donald Trump.

A military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Congressional District.

Behn made it a relatively close race in an overwhelmingly Republican district that Trump carried by 22 percentage points in 2024. Behn ran up a huge margin in Davidson County, which is the most Democratic county in the district and home to Nashville. But Van Epps carried the rest of the district, including many deep-red counties throughout central Tennessee.

With about 95% of votes counted, Van Epps’ lead was in the high single digits. The previous Republican who held the seat won by 21 points last year.

“Politicians who run from the president or abandon the common-sense policies that the American people gave us a resounding mandate on do so at their own peril,” Van Epps said at his victory party. “No matter what the D.C. insiders or liberal media say, this is President Trump’s party. I’m proud to be a part of it and can’t wait to get to work.”

In a statement earlier, he vowed to be “all-in” with Trump in Congress.

Trump congratulated Van Epps, saying in a social media post: “The Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him, including Millions of Dollars. Another great night for the Republican Party!!!”

At her own campaign gathering, Behn took the stage with a burst of energy, singing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” Though she came up short of victory, she said, the result was “the beginning of something” powerful. Republicans drew the district to be uncompetitive, she added, and “Nobody in Washington believed we could get even this close.”

“Tonight isn’t the end. It is the beginning of a next chapter of Tennessee and American politics — one of possibility, one of power and one of progress for the people that we love,” Behn said.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Republicans should be “shaking in their boots.”

“What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes,” Martin said in a statement.

Behn also said she called Van Epps. She said she asked him not to let Affordable Care Act subsidies expire.

Campaign spending

Van Epps benefited from nearly $1.7 million in spending from MAGA Inc., according to a memo from the Trump-aligned group, with nearly half going toward digital advertising targeting people streaming video online. It was the first time the Trump-supporting super PAC spent money on a campaign since last year’s presidential race, a reflection of the special election’s outsize importance.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP chair Joe Gruters rallied supporters in Tennessee on Monday. Trump addressed a crowd at a rally in the state by phone and later in the day held a tele-rally for Van Epps, his second of the general election.

Republicans entered Election Day hoping to scuttle Democratic claims that even red districts are now in play as Trump struggles with low approval ratings and persistent economic dissatisfaction.

Democrats recently won by wide margins in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere, and they hoped that a strong showing in Tennessee could further embolden the party ahead of midterm elections next November.

“The momentum has been on our side,” Behn told MS NOW on Tuesday evening. “We are overperforming in places where we need to be, and losing less in other places.”

Redrawn district

Republican state lawmakers redrew the 7th District and two others in 2022 to help prevent liberal-voting Nashville from electing another Democrat to Congress. Only about 1 in 5 voters in the district, which spans 14 counties, are in the city.

Republican former Rep. Mark Green, who retired this summer, opening the vacancy, was reelected by 21 percentage points in 2024, when Trump won by a similar margin.

The single-race election came at an odd time to be casting ballots, with early voting ending the day before Thanksgiving and Election Day the following Tuesday.

The House Majority PAC put $1 million behind Behn. Democratic national party chair Ken Martin visited to campaign for Behn, and former Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a canvassing kickoff while in Nashville on a book tour. Former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez headlined a virtual rally for her Monday.

Van Epps hewed close to Trump

Van Epps aimed to align with the president as closely as possible, telling him during the November tele-rally, “I will have your back 100%.” He won a crowded primary by a wide margin in October with a late endorsement from Trump.

Behn focused her campaign on fiery criticisms of economic policies that she said prioritize wealthy people and corporations, including Trump’s tariffs and budget and spending law, both of which Van Epps supports.

But Republicans created a steady drumbeat of Behn’s own words used against her in television advertising, such as when she described herself as a “radical” and made harsh remarks about Nashville and its tourist draws.

Trump supporter Anthony Bordonaro, 37, said Tuesday that he wants the president’s policies to move forward but pointed to those anti-Nashville comments as extra motivation to vote for Van Epps.

“I just didn’t really like what I was hearing about the other candidate not liking Nashville,” he said.

Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press